Pittman running for first full term in 41st senate district
State Sen. Joe Pittman, R-41st, announced he is running for a full four-year term in office this year.
Pittman won a special election last year to represent the state 41st District, which includes Armstrong and Indiana counties as well as portions of Butler and Westmoreland counties, following the retirement of Sen. Don White. Pittman had served as White's chief of staff since 2001.
“When residents seek the assistance of my office, party affiliation is never what matters — attempting to solve the problem always matters,” Pittman said. “I am proud of the effort my staff and I make to improve the everyday lives of the hard-working men and women in the communities we represent.”
He said his emphasis will be to improve the economy and quality of life in the communities he represents. The state must promote the responsible growth and production of natural gas and coal resources and improve workforce development efforts to ensure youths have skills necessary to meet the demands of the energy and manufacturing industries, he said.
Pittman introduced legislation to ensure Gov. Tom Wolf's plan to impose a carbon tax on the production of electricity does not occur without legislative approval. He said Western Pennsylvania is home to thousands of jobs that result from the production of affordable electricity.
Pittman serves as vice chairman of the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee as well as a member of the Appropriations, Banking and Insurance, Communications and Technology, Game and Fish and Judiciary committees.
